The 7 Habits of Truly Genuine People

What authentic people do differently than the rest of us, and how you can too. To become one of them you need to explore the habits of truly genuine people.

We tend to value โ€œgenuineโ€ people and think poorly of those whom we perceive as being โ€œfakeโ€โ€”but why is that? After all, what motivates โ€œfakenessโ€ is an effort to appear more appealing or impressive, so shouldnโ€™t we find people who care about our opinions more appealing than those who, by definition, do their own thing regardless of what we think?

Well, no, we shouldnโ€™tโ€”and for three basic reasons:

1. We are much more likely to trust a genuine person than a fake one because we believe those who are true to themselves are also likely to be truer and more honest with us.

2. We often associate genuineness with appealing traits, such as strength of character and emotional resilienceโ€”and correctly so, as being true to yourself takes confidence, tenacity, and often even bravery.

3. We are attracted to uniqueness and individuality, qualities genuine people usually have in spades.

Many journeys of self-improvement and self-discovery involve efforts to live a more authentic life. Adopting the followingย seven habits can help you become a more genuine personโ€”however, balance is important.

Overdoingย any of these mightย do more harm than good so be sure to set moderate, not extreme,ย goalsย when it comes to working on them.

Find out 7 Habits of Truly Genuine People.

1. Genuine people speak their mind.

This is actually a two-step habit. Genuine people take time to figure out their own opinions and perspectives about things, and they are notย shyย about sharing their thought-out opinions with others.

The manner in whichย they share theirย opinions also matters: Genuine peopleย are comfortable presenting their ideasย without expecting or needing to convince others they are right. One thing thatย helps themย get in touch with their true opinions and perspectives isโ€ฆ

Related: Authentic People Do These 12 Things Differently

2. Genuine people respond toย internalย expectations, notย externalย ones.

Genuine people spend time thinking about and exploring their own beliefs, ideals, standards, and expectations because they rely onย the answers to these questions to give them direction and purpose in life.

Of course, identifying your own ideas and beliefsย is not necessarilyย easy, since they can easily conflict with theย beliefs and standards of the families, communities, and cultures in which you were raised. Indeed,ย being authentic is often associated with being brave because youโ€™re then likely to do the followingโ€ฆ

3. Genuine people forge their own paths.

Being authentic is not just about what you think or say but what youย doย and how you are in the world. Being guided by an internal compass means not having to follow the conventional or typical routes others take to achieve their goals.

Therefore, genuine people search for and discover their own unique way of pursuing their passions and purpose, often forging an entirely new path as they do. The risk of forging a new and unproven path is that not all your efforts will be successful.

Related: 7 Signs You Have a Spiritual Gift โ€“ Are You Genuinely Gifted?

4. Genuine people are not threatened by failure.

The reason most people follow conventional routes is they are supposedly โ€œprovenโ€ and โ€œsafer,โ€ and therefore more likely to yield success.

On the other hand, taking the road less (or never) traveled isย risky and can lead to failure. Yet, genuine people do so because theyย are not threatened by the idea of failing.

In fact, theyย view failureย as an integral partย of their journey, a sourceย of learning, and an enriching experienceย from which they can grow. Because they find failures instructive rather than threateningโ€ฆ

5. Genuine people can admit their faults.

To be true to your feelings and opinions you must first be honest with yourself about your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviorโ€”which means confronting the bad along with the good.

As such, genuine people are likely to recognize their faults and shortcomings, to accept them, and toย take responsibility for their actions as a result. Indeed, their general ability to ownย their faults, mistakes, and failures extends beyond how they see themselves such thatโ€ฆ

6. Genuine people are not judgmental of others.

Being honest about their own faults and embracing individuality and differences leads genuine people to be less judgmental and more accepting of the people around them.

Their fundamental assumptions about human complexity and their reluctance to view people via the lens ofย biasย or preconceived expectations allows them a purer perspective that usuallyย leads to direct and honest interactions and relationships. And all of the habits listed above stem from one core psychological characteristic of genuine peopleโ€ฆ

Related: 21 Things That Change When You Start Respecting Yourself

7. Genuine people have solidย self-esteem.

Having solid self-esteem means having stable self-esteem that is neither too high norย too low. (Narcissists, for example, have high but brittle self-esteem.)

As a result, genuine people can tolerate and absorb failure and criticism, admit their faults, and be accepting of others because they are not threatened byย imperfection.

Indeed, having solidย self-esteem means, by definition, that you canย absorb both negative and positive feedback and acknowledge aspects of yourย character that might need work or improvement without diminishing yourย overall sense ofย self-worth.


For scientifically proven ways to manage failure and enhance self-esteem check outย Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure and Other Everyday Hurtsย (Plume, 2014).
Written By Guy Winch PhD.
Originally published on Psychology Today
Printed with permission from the author

Copyright 2015 Guy Winch

The 7 Habits of Truly Genuine People
Habits of Truly Genuine People Pin

— Share —

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Up Next

Am I Motivating Myself or Just Pushing Myself?

Motivation Myself or Pushing Myself Redefining

Am I truly motivating myself or just pushing too hard? Andrea asks a reflecting question if itโ€™s inspiration or unrelenting pressure. Let’s find out more about it!

Personal Perspective: The bracelet is inscribed โ€œKeep Going.โ€ Can I?

Motivating Myself Or Pushing Myself?

This bracelet inscribed โ€œKeep Goingโ€ was originally meant to inspire me because last year was a t

Up Next

Things People Learn Too Late In Life: 7 Eye-Opening Life Lessons

Things People Learn Too Late in Life Eye Opening Life Lessons

Life is full of unexpected events and sometimes there are things people learn too late. Though some lessons come with age and experience, as time goes by, we often wish we had known some important truths sooner.

These moments of truth can be very shocking as well as transformative, they help us live authentically, appreciate what truly matters, and make the most of our time. Below are seven crucial life lessons people learn too late and can still change the way they approach life.

7 Things People Learn Too Late In

Up Next

Anger and Emotions: What’s Really Setting Us Off?

Anger and Emotion Whats Really Setting Us Off

Ever wonder whatโ€™s really fueling your anger and emotions? Discover how a mindful approach can help you regain inner peace in your life!

Taking a mindful approach to exploring why we are angry.

Key points

Anger is a secondary emotion.

Anger is a warning sign that lets us know there is an issue to address.

Knowing what we are feeling will help us to address the source of our anger.

Anger can hit us when we least expect it. There are some people who get angry and not know what they are angry about. The

Up Next

How I Hacked My Personality: Steps To Be The Better Version Of Myself

How I Hacked My Personality

Can we truly reshape our personalities for lasting change? Discover Dr. Shannon Sauer-Zavala’s article “How I hacked my personality” and learn how small shifts in mindset and behavior can lead to meaningful transformation in your life.

A Personal Perspective: Science-backed strategies for intentional trait change.

Key points

Research suggests that personality changes over time.

We can speed up personality change by taking intentional action.

Changes that are reinforced by the environment are easier to maintain.

Up Next

Women Empowerment: The Rebecca Effect in “Ted Lasso”

Rebecca Effect In Ted Lasso Women Empowerment

Can women turn negative experiences into empowerment? Discover the โ€œRebecca Effectโ€ from Ted Lasso and transform your personal trials into powerful self-acceptance!

Personal Perspective: Empowering women to transform shame and betrayal.

Key points

“Ted Lasso” inspired with imperfect, endearing characters whose trials and transformations mirrored our own.

The โ€œRebecca Effectโ€ is the empowerment and transformation possible when we have been oppressed or shamed.

The “Rebecca Effect” is the process through which women embrace themselves in totality.

Up Next

The Healing Power of Emotional Tears

The Healing Power of Emotional Tears

Ever wondered why we shed emotional tears? Tears serve a healing purpose. Explore how it plays an important role for our well-being.

Emotional tears are an expression of our shared humanity.

Emotional tears, expressed by children, teens, and adults, are a universal experience observed across the globe. Emotional tears play a healing role, leading to our emotional and physical well-being. This post explores the value of emotional tears and the importance of presence and support from family and friends during unexpected

Read More Here: โ€œWhy Am I Always On The Verg

Up Next

10 Important Weekly Reflection Questions You Need To Ask Yourself

If you feel stuck and want to keep track of your goals every week, then weekly reflection questions can really help you. Weekly reflection questions can help you check in with yourself and make sure youโ€™re headed in the right direction. These are the questions you need to ask yourself every week to keep growing and moving forward.

Have you ever had a week with so much going on that you end the week feeling overwhelmed and exhausted? I know I have been there. Sometimes, the week goes by so fast that itโ€™s over before I know it, and there is no time left to process it.

A weekly reflection can help evaluate if what you are doing is working. It fosters self-growth. So, pull out that weekly reflection journal and answer the weekly reflection prompts below.